The President of the European Council Antonio Costathe EU high representative Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos are visiting Kiev, where they will meet the president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The highly symbolic choice coincides with the first day of work of the new European Commission. ANSA is the only Italian media following the mission.
“On our first day in office we are here to give a message: we stand with Ukrainemilitarily, financially and politically as from day one,” Costa said.
“I think it is very important to come here and start our mandate in Ukraine, both the President of the European Council and the High Representative, together with the Commissioner for Enlargement,” Kallas said. “Ukraine is an issue that we must address at multiple levels during our mandate and it is the biggest security problem we currently have. And it is a good message that we come here together to demonstrate a spirit of unity, in the logic of ‘Team Europe,'” added Kallas speaking to journalists.
Zelensky’s position
“The truce and negotiations can only come after Ukraine is strengthened with a sufficient package of weapons, including long-range ones, and the invitation to join NATO”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a press conference with the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, specifying his thoughts after the interview in recent days. “Because if we have a frozen conflict without a strong position for Ukraine, Putin will return to the attack and try to totally destroy us,” he added, specifying that he sees Ukraine and Russia at the negotiating table, of course, but also ” EU and Born”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2024/12/01/ucraina-costa-kallas-e-kos-la-nuova-commissione- ue-in-kiev-zelensky-if-I-ask-half-troops-of-the-allies-he-drops-me-15755bed-b0ee-43ce-ac5a-4592bed580a2/.”Not will we ever ask our allies to send troops to Ukraine. Of course, we would be happy. Because Russia now has the North Koreans, Iran and other allies while we are alone on the battlefield. But if I asked for troops, boots on the ground, half of our allies would stop supporting,” Zelensky added. “The EU has no choice but to be united: Russia uses different methods in various countries, such as Moldova and Georgia, but the objectives are always anti-European.”
Kallas to ANSA: ‘Don’t rule anything out about Ukraine’
“Up to now the discussion has been around which countries would be willing to send soldiers to Ukraine and which would not: I believe nothing should be ruled out and a certain strategic ambiguity should be maintained on the point.” EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said this in an interview given to a group of international media, including ANSA, on her debut in office. Kallas then underlined that Europe could “play a role” if a ceasefire was indeed reached and it was necessary to send troops to verify that it is respected. “The choice in this regard in any case remains in the hands of Ukraine,” he noted.
In his first tweet as High Representative, Kallas wrote: “It is a privilege to be in Kiev together with the President of the European Council Costa and Commissioner Kos. In my first visit since taking office, my message is clear: the The European Union wants Ukraine to win this war. We will do whatever it takes to do so.” The former Estonian prime minister, during the interview with ANSA, said that he is already “building bridges with the administration American”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2024/12/01/ucraina-costa-kallas-e-kos-la-nuova-commissi one-ue-in-kiev-zelensky-if-I-ask-half-troops-of-the-allies-he-drops-me-15755bed-b0ee-43ce-ac5a-4592bed580a2/.”But when I hear reports from member states that have had talks with the Trump administration… well, they no longer say that it is so easy to end this war,” Kallas confides. “Perhaps we should ask ourselves whether the truce is not useful for the Russians to not give up on their objectives because it is hard for Ukraine at the moment, but we are overestimating Moscow: their economy has entered a difficult phase, between sanctions, deficit, inflation, lack of staff,” he explains. Therefore it is also “in the interests of the USA” to continue supporting Ukraine because a victory for Moscow “would strengthen China, Iran and North Korea, which already operate together”.
Medveded: ‘For Costa and Kallas the important thing is to continue the war until the last Ukrainian’
For the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, “the important thing is to continue the war until the last Ukrainian”: the vice-president of the Russian Security Council wrote on Telegram, Dmitri Medvedev. “The new head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the Estonian Russophobe who previously raised funds in Russia together with her husband, and now ‘chief diplomat’ of the EU, Kaja Kallas, arrived in Kiev on the first day of work – yes reads in the message – This means one thing: the main thing for them is not the prosperity of the EU countries, it is not the development of the economy and it is not the solution of social problems that is important ‘last Ukrainian. Rejoice, Europeans: a good choice, the right defenders of democracy!”.